Presentation and Q&A with Peter Amon, President Continental Europe, Aramark GmbH, “Living Sustainability”.

Moderator: C.B. Bhattacharya, ESMT Associate Dean of International Relations and E.ON Chair in Corporate Responsibility

Jan Muehlfeit
Chairman
Microsoft Europe

Globalization, Technology and People

Technology in next the 10 years will play an unprecedented transformative role in society and will even more dramatically influence further globalization.  People, organizations, states will mainly compete through their ability to use technology in innovation, creativity and design.

The paradox is that the more technology we use, the more human brains and people talent will be really the one and only long term competitive advantage for individuals, companies and countries. The implications of these trends for global competitiveness will be explored, also through discussion with the audience.

Two decades after the inception of the World Wide Web (WWW), which was developed to pool human knowledge and foster borderless cooperation on a unifying network, the Internet is an unquestioned platform for innovation and growth. While some large U.S. content providers have experienced stellar performance, Internet Service Providers’ (ISP) performance has been less spectacular. At the same time, ideas to offer exclusive services and differentiated quality classes on the net may help ISPs to regain competitive edge while shaking up the content providers. This, in turn, has sparked strong protests among user communities and political decision makers concerned with violation of net neutrality – the idea that everyone can have equal access to the net. This session will bring together industry experts and academics to discuss these dynamic developments and possible future scenarios for gaining competitive edge on the internet.

Panelists

Moderator

This panel discussion is dedicated to the role of the human factor in achieving and maintaining long-term organizational success and associated leadership challenges. The panelists will interact with the audience to explore current thinking and practice in talent management and leadership development, as well as their place in ensuring competitive advantage. The session will highlight such issues as creative and ethical components of talent management and leadership, executive careers and career development, and shared leadership, and, in particular, the impact these have on our understanding of organizations today and in the future.

Panelists

Moderators

In this session we will explore the new challenges faced by technology-based industries in new and mature markets. First we shall explore low cost as the key to enter the new markets. To succeed we may pare down products while fulfilling their basic technical function, and/or design products as simply and cost effectively as possible. Yet what are the challenges these developments pose with regard to brand, sales force, organizational structure, and company culture? In the second part of the session, we will take a closer look at our traditional markets, where we are confronted with ever increasing demands. Customized design of products and services has already become a matter of course, but what about the next evolutionary step, namely the long-term co-creation of value? We will elaborate on what it takes to share revenue and risk, and analyze how and when suppliers are paid - and for what exactly.

Panelists

Moderators

Panel Moderators

Close out the ESMT Annual Forum "The Global Race for Competitive Edge” together with fellow participants at an informal lunch on campus.